Heather Nelson-Brantley is Associate Professor and Director of the Nurse Executive DNP and Nursing Health Systems Leadership MSN pathways at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Nelson-Brantley, President of the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing, is internationally recognized for advancing nursing leadership science, implementation research, and health equity. Her early study using NDNQI data from 162 hospitals identified key organizational drivers of RN turnover findings now shaping retention strategies in over 20 countries. Her conceptual model for leading change, based on her research of the first independent critical access hospital to achieve Magnet, has informed leadership competencies and readiness toolkits across North America and Europe. A Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health scholar and Betty Irene Moore Fellow, she has contributed to over $15.6M in funded research improving cancer, palliative, and maternal-child health care. Her 2024 study linking nurses’ social media use to job decisions is fueling national calls for data-driven social media strategies to attract and retain a diverse nursing workforce. She further advances the field of nursing leadership science through service on the Journal of Nursing Administration editorial board. Dr. Nelson-Brantley earned her PhD and BSN from the University of Kansas and her BS in Psychology from Kansas State University.